SAN ANTONIO -- Who's fat? Not these women. Instead of shedding pounds, plus-size fashionistas and bloggers are shedding swimsuit cover-ups, from the beaches in South Padre and beyond, in an effort to promote positive body image.

Women are flaunting their full figures with the #fatkini hashtag on social media, started by blogger Gabi Gregg, or GabiFresh.

"As always, I truly encourage you guys to get to the beach (or a pool) this summer--don't let body shame keep you from having a good time," Gregg blogged in 2012. "I don't expect everyone to feel comfortable in a two piece, but hopefully I can inspire some of you to take the plunge. I can't tell you how freeing it is to just have fun without worrying about what other people think."

Now at the end of summer, hundreds of photos of women have surfaced on social media, with Tweets ranging from, "I'm a fat girl in a two piece, and I'm adorable!" to "#fatkini season is among us. If you're offended you should leave."

Over the past few years, more and more companies began making fatkinis, or bikinis for plus-size women, including Monif C.

"It's been about five years since my company started designing bikinis for plus-size women, and it's amazing to see women [who] previously hid in the shadows feel good enough about themselves to post their picture on the Internet," CEO Monif Clarke told the New York Post.

The trend also comes after Instagram deleted full-figured Samm Newman's account after she posted selfies of herself in a bra and boy shorts in July. The 19-year-old girl from Ohio initially posted the photo because she wanted to change the way social media perceives body image.

"Fat is not a bad word," Newman told NBC 4 in Ohio. "How confident can you be if you keep censoring yourself because people don't want to look at you?"

Instagram later restored Newman's account, and Newman responded with a photo saying, "By deleting non-suggestive photos of women of size, you are telling women that their journeys don't matter. You are contributing to the downfall of their confidence and happiness, and stealing from them the opportunity to truly bask in the glow that is their beauty. End size discrimination on Instagram."

She suggests women should pay attention to the media they are consuming, stop body shaming others, pamper themselves, be grateful and exercise.

"We all have bad days, but don't let yourself get stuck there," she writes. "Get up the next day, browse some photos of beautiful ladies of all shapes and sizes online, put on a fierce outfit, and remember that your size doesn't determine your happiness, you do."